A very popular item with fishermen is the closed face fishing reel. This type of reel typically includes a body, a spool mounted to the body, and a winding drum rotatable relative to the spool. A crank and gearing mechanism permit the winding drum to be rotated. A line engaging element extending from the winding drum catches the line and winds it on the spool as the winding drum is rotated. Closed face fishing reels currently available typically include a housing secured to the reel body which encloses the spool, winding drum and gearing mechanism. The forward part of the housing includes a line passageway. The shape of the line passageway determines, at least in part, the characteristics of the discharge of line from the fishing reel when a fishing bait is cast and the characteristics of the infeed of the line as it is wound in. Conventional line passageways are circular, and thus have very little effect on the line as it is wound in.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, generally this type of fishing reel is mounted on a fishing rod through a mounting leg attached to the reel body. In use, an angler uses his hand to grip the upper portion of the reel together with the fishing rod.
When the angler uses particular baits, such as those requiring movement while in the water, it is customary for the angler to "jerk" the bait (i.e., physically move the line by raising the rod tip by hand), while at the same time winding the line in. Although cumbersome, expert anglers have perfected certain techniques which, through use, have been found to promote the catching of fish. Uniform repetition is, however, difficult even for the most experienced anglers. Thus, there is a long-felt need to provide a reel configuration which permits optional automatic, repeatable jerking of the line when the line is wound in.
More particularly, there is a need to provide a closed face spinning reel design permitting a jerking or tugging motion to be imparted to the line when reeled in, such as for attracting the attention of fish, which construction is simple and which enables a variety of different line actions to be easily obtained. Additionally, there is a need to provide such a construction which permits particular line actions to be readily repeatable.
Applicant is aware of several prior attempts to accomplish this result. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,267, issued Jan. 19, 1965 to Rowe, discloses a spinning reel which purports to provide a jerking motion to a fishing line. The type of jerking action produced relates to the distance each pole is from the spool axis and to the use of a rotating pickup pin on the spool. Several embodiments are described in this patent, each of which involve the complicated use of multiple holes offset eccentrically from the spool axis for selectively positioning the line guiding means in the outer housing at different radial distances from the axis of rotation of the spool member.
In a later patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,157, issued Jan. 25, 1972, Rowe provides an open faced spinning reel design which is disclosed as permitting a considerable amount of jerking or tugging to be imparted to the line when drawn in.
Other closed face fishing reel designs are shown in Fulope, U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,501, issued Dec. 24, 1968 and Myojo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,491, issued Feb. 2, 1988.
None of the foregoing patents, however, provide a simple and efficient closed face spinning reel which permits pulsations to be imparted to the line as it is reeled in.